Southern Secrets

by Shelley Stringer

  “Now, sweet chile, may an ‘ole superstitious Creole woman get a chance at dem babies? I has my ways o’tellin a lot…” she rose and held her hand out to touch my tummy. I nodded up to her enthusiastically as I turned to smile at Banton. She raised my shirt and placed both her warm hands on the top and underside of my belly, and then moved them around to the front. She paused a moment, and then leaned over and placed her ear against me. Closing her eyes, she rose back up, and then turned and sat back down in the rocker beside me.

  “Well, Chile…do you want to know what dem babies are? Or has de Doctors told you already?” she asked.

  I hesitated. Folklore wouldn’t hurt, it was just a guess. “The doctor asked us but we told him we wanted to be surprised. But I wouldn’t mind hearing your opinion.” I grinned at Banton, and then back at her.

  “Oh, it’s not opinion, it’s dey saints o’de old world a’tellin me. You is carrying one of each…a little Master Gastaneau, and a sister too. Dey Saints smile down on a perfectly matched pair.” She beamed, shaking a finger at me. Then she turned somber. She pulled a packet out of her purse, and then leaned over and sprinkled some powder on my still-exposed tummy. She smoothed the gray powder making a v-shaped line around my belly-button, and when she leaned back in her chair, she closed her eyes and began to rock. I looked inquiringly over at Mr. Jackson, and he smiled as he watched his aunt go through her superstitions.

  After a few moments, Miss Chloe opened her eyes. “Mr. Banton, you is gonna have yo hands full wid those two. De young master, he is a ‘gonna be twice de little dickens dat you was when you was little.” She shook her finger at him as he grinned.

  “I know I is right…you was a dickens. I can tell, and you is gonna pay fo yo raisin, Mister Banton. Now, dis here baby girl, she is gonna be a beauty, and she’ll be a handful in a much, much different way. She is gonna have her daddy a’twisted ‘round her little finger, she already does,” she continued. “She will have her mama’s beautiful, brown eyes, and be quiet and kind. Her twin will be a might protective of her, and dey will be thick as thieves, those two will be. One will be lost without de other, and dat is how it should be, wid twin babies.”

  Then her smile faded, and she became still and pensive. She rocked for several more minutes, and then looked up at Marie.

  “What is it, Mamma? Are you hurtin somewhere? she asked, looking back and forth between us.

  “I is, Chile, but not how you means. I hurt for dis po Chile, and what she is a’gonna go through. You have to be brave, Chile, brave fo yo babies, and yo family. You promise me, you will be strong with yo faith in the almighty Lord. You read his word, and find his peace, de peace what passes all understandin’. Promise me dis, chile…” she pleaded, leaning forward to grasp my hands.

  “I promise. What is going to happen?” I whispered, terrified.

  “I can’t tell fo sure. I just know dat you is gonna need yo strength.” As she held my hands in hers, I felt a jolt, much like the day I’d connected emotionally with Brie. I felt a tremendous amount of love, more than I’d ever felt before. I watched her face in amazement. I became calm – it was if I could feel her wisdom and guidance.

  “Now, I is going to tell you something dat you don’t know. Dem babies, dey is Mister Banton’s, no doubt about dat. But what troubles me de most, is dat dey is…dey is not,” the old woman struggled to finish her thought.

  “What is it, Mama? What are you trying to tell them?” Marie asked her mother quietly.

  “I don’t understand it, but I sense dat dey is children of de Loop-Garou. But dey is bon, c’est bon – um, dey is good.”

  I glanced back at Banton, and he rubbed my arm as he watched my expression.

  “I guess an ole Creole woman can get touched in de head, maybe it be time fo me to hang up my gris-gris bags and teach de next generation how to carry on wid’ my healin’s,” she sighed and then rocked back in her chair.

  “No, you’re correct. It’s complicated to explain, but the babies could be other than human,” Banton told her softly.

  “Red told me dat you both was of a kind of peoples dat I ain’t heared of since I was but a little chile. Dat you is what dey old folks called Sange-Mele, but I didn’t believe him.” She shook her head, and then watched Banton closely.

  “He is right. We both are, and we’ve both been bitten. Unfortunately, Chandler was bitten, right after she got pregnant with the twins. The Sange-Mele doctor we see for her condition told us he doesn’t know what affect the venom will have on the babies.”

  Miss Chloe continued to rock, seemingly empowered by this knowledge. “It be makin’ some sense to me now, Chile. I sensed a great power in dem babies, and a goodness dat is rare in dis world. Dey is good…c’est bon… like you, but powerful as dem Loop-Garou. I must do some ponderin and prayin about dis one. I’m a-feared for dem, Mr. Banton. Dem Loogaroo, dey will want dem babies bad. You must protect dem, de Almighty and de Saints, dey has great plans in store fo dem babies, I can just feel it.”

  “Mamma, you’re scaring Mrs. Chandler to death with all this talk, and we’ve overstayed our welcome,” Miss Marie said, rising.

  “Nonsense, I’ve enjoyed your visit so much. Please promise me you will come again soon?” I asked. She turned to place a kiss on my cheek.

  “I will, chile. Dey lavender and de sage, dey worked on yo dreams?”

  “Something worked, they’ve almost stopped now,” I answered her.

  “I’ll bring you some mo charms, and some fresh brick dust fo yo front stoop. You’ll be safe as sunshine, wid all dem makins. You just trust in de Almighty, and de good book.”

  Mr. Jackson paused at the front door.

  “Chile, you take care now, and you all needs anything, you just call,” he shook Banton’s hand. “You all be happy now, now dat dem babies is a comin’, and all dem night crawlers is a runned off. I sho be happy ‘bout dat.” He helped Miss Chloe down to the car.

  Banton shut the front door, and then turned and followed me into the living room.

  “It’s chilly tonight, I think I’ll light a fire,” he said as he watched me intently. I curled up on the couch, and pulled the ancient quilt over me. After he had the fire licking hungrily at the logs in the fireplace, he crossed the room over to the sofa and sank down beside me, pulling me over into his lap.

  “Chandler, don’t let her warnings upset you. She is a lively, sweet lady, and she means well. But I don’t want you worrying about some feeling or premonition she’s had.”

  “I know. But she is wise, and the feeling I got when she took my hands in hers…Banton, it was like the day I connected with Brie!”

  He pulled back to look down at me. “What did you feel, Chandler? Can you describe it?” he asked, brushing my hair behind my ear.

  “It was as if I could feel her wisdom. She possesses a calmness which comes from years and years of experience. And extreme love I’ve never felt before. I liked the feeling, and…well, I can’t make you understand, but it was as if I could feel her intelligence, and her faith. I trust her completely,” I stated adamantly.

  “I understand sweetheart…I believe you. I just don’t want you to be apprehensive and worry needlessly about what she said,” he countered, studying my eyes.

  “I won’t. There is a difference between being cautious and prepared, and worrying.”

  “I forget, you’re the oldest twenty-two year old in the world.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means you’re wise and mature beyond your years.” he answered, pulling me up to kiss me. He ran his fingers slowly over my face, seeming to study every line and shadow there, trailing down to my jaw as his lips caressed mine.

  We had avoided the nursery when we took Mr. Jackson and his family on the tour of the house, everything seemed quiet behind the door, and we didn’t want to tempt fate. As we were locked in our moment on the sofa, voices on the staircase reminded us we weren’t alone in the house.

  “Hey, are y’all hung
ry? Constance and I were just about to go out and get something to eat,” Ty offered as he and Constance bounded into the living room, their hands clasped tightly together.

  “Do you want to go out?” Banton asked, never pausing as his lips nipped and lightly sucked down my neck.

  “Um, no…y’all go on ahead, we’ll just find something here later.”

  Constance giggled. I pulled away from Banton enough to see to the front door closing.

  “Do you want me to go and fix us something to eat?” he asked, moving down to my collar bone.

  “Don’t think so. I’m not hungry…for food, anyway,” I said between giggles as he moved his hands up my ribcage.

  “Now the pressure is off, and everything is almost back to normal, I feel we can enjoy ourselves for a change. Do you realize this is the first night we’ve been in our own house, not having to worry about Orcos, Aldon, or anything?” He breathed against my neck.

  I took his face in my hands and looked into his eyes. “I want you so badly.”

  “Chandler Ann, you have me. You have all of me, forever,” he replied, kissing my nose.

  “That’s not what I mean. I’ve never wanted you so badly. I…” I paused as he searched my eyes. “Here we go again…we’re together, but we can’t do anything, because of my complicated pregnancy.”

  “We’ve been through this before. I’m sorry, I forgot about the venom. It’s hard to control emotions and feelings, when you’re fighting through the after-effects of an attack. I’ll stop,” he apologized, pulling back away from me.

  “No! Please, don’t. I just…I need to feel you near me,” I replied. He caressed my cheek with his thumb.

  “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

  We heard the front door open.

  Banton cleared his throat, and then called out, “Remember what I said about all those keys? Well, I think it’s time…”

  “Oh, no…Banton babe, we’ve been all through that. Uncle Everett doesn’t relinquish his keys to anyone. Besides, I knew you were just cuddling, Doctor’s orders,” he blurted out, and then stopped himself.

  “How in the hell did you know?” Banton asked, turning to me.

  “Don’t look at me, I haven’t seen him since the attack,” I stated.

  Everett flitted into the room, waving his arm around as if he was batting flies away.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, we Aldon…our hearing is so strong, we often hear much more than we want to. I overheard the doctors talking to you all yesterday, that’s all. Don’t get your panties in a wad. So, Bebe, what can I do for you now you have to take it easy again?” he sang out as he flitted around the foyer, picking up coats and tidying up.

  “Everett, everything is fine. You don’t need to do a thing, just come in and visit. You need to go back to just being a guest, not our full-time babysitter.”

  He came back into the room and waltzed over to kiss me on the cheek. “Sweet Bebe, I’m still watching out for you. I’m not convinced this is over quite yet. Until I know exactly where the remaining few are, I’ll be here. Besides, without you two, I have no life!” he exclaimed as he flopped down in a chair.

  “Oh, Ev…you know you’re welcome here always,” I assured him. I elbowed Banton under the quilt.

  “Yeah, Ev…we want you here as long as you want,” he smiled lopsidedly. Everett reached out, and picked the apron up Miss Chloe brought to me.

  “Where did this pretty little thing come from, Bebe?”

  “Mr. Jackson brought his Auntie Chloe by to meet us this afternoon, and she brought me some keepsakes her grandmother had left her from the Johnson estate. Look, this beautiful quilt was quilted by her grandmother and Mrs. Johnson.”

  “That’s wonderful! Was she able to tell you anything about the house?” Everett asked. I detected a tone in his voice not there before; it reminded me of the night he questioned me about the owners of the house after we’d been to the cemetery.

  I watched him closely as I replied, “A little, but she also brought us something very special, this picture.”

  I held up the delicate frame from the coffee table, and he stood to take it from me. As I continued to study him, he stood motionless, a dark shadow crossing his face. He gazed at the picture, and his eyes began to glow as if he was threatened. He placed the picture gently back on the coffee table, and then raised his eyes to look at me.

  “I’m still feeling a little off from the bite I received yesterday, if you will excuse me.” He flew from the room, down the hallway to the kitchen.

  “Chandler, what’s wrong with Everett? I’ve never seen him like that,” Banton wondered. I turned to him as he placed his hand around the back of my neck.

  “I don’t know. But he had the same reaction the night we went to the cemetery and I took those pictures. He reacted again when he saw the pictures I took. When I questioned him, he just shrugged it off and assured me he’d just been hit with some bad memories or something. You know Ev, he’s close to us, but extremely private when it comes to his own life,” I answered. Banton shook his head, and then cupped his hands under my rump, moving me in one swift motion over to the other side of the sofa so he could stand. I giggled, it was if he were moving a small child from his lap.

  “I think I’ll go and talk to him. He seemed kind of upset.” He grazed my cheek with his hand.

  After Banton had left the room, I picked the picture back up to look at the delicate young girl, and it occurred to me. She was dressed in a ball gown, typical of one from the period. This would have been about the time Everett was actually a young man, and maybe in love. She must have reminded him of his relationship, although I didn’t see how, since he was obviously gay. Maybe the man he had loved ran away with a girl who looked like Marie…maybe the picture reminded him of a family member or friend. As I studied her face, her eyes seemed to come to life out of the picture. I felt she was trying to communicate with me, felt a connection to her…to the house like I’d never experienced before. The hair stood up on the back of my neck,

  “Chandler…” Banton gasped, standing in the hallway. I glanced up, just as the young wounded soldier drifted into the foyer through the front door. He stood motionless, staring up the staircase.

  “Are you all right?” Banton asked. He gazed at me from across the foyer. “Can you see him?”

  “Yes, it’s all right. He won’t hurt us,” I whispered back. The soldier seemed unaware of us, climbing the staircase slowly and then disappearing at the top of the stairs.

  “It’s him,” I heard Everett exclaim, rounding the bottom of the stairs behind Banton.

  “Who?” Banton asked.

  Everett seemed to snap out of a trance. “I just meant…it’s the same apparition we saw the day we went exploring down at the cemetery, that’s all,” he recovered, bringing in a tray of food.

  “Sweetheart, was it the same apparition you saw before?” Banton asked as he handed me a glass of sparkling water. He sat a bottle of wine down on the coffee table and then sat down beside me, drawing me into his side.

  “Yes. I didn’t notice it before when he was here; I only sensed he was harmless. I wasn’t scared of him. This time, I sensed an intense longing, and a protective feeling.”

  I wanted them to know I felt the presence was there to protect the house, or us…he was not a threat, I was sure of it.

  “Well, let’s eat a bite, and then we’ll go and see if he’s camped out upstairs, or if he left,” Banton joked.

  After we’d eaten, Everett stood and stretched. “Well, I think I’ll go in and tidy the kitchen, and then walk down to check on our Cowboy. He was awfully quiet yesterday and I don’t think he needs to be alone right now.”

  “No, Ev…you go on ahead to see John. I’ll clean the kitchen up, after I’ve carried Chandler upstairs.” Banton assured him.

  Banton swung me up off the sofa and into his chest.

  “I can walk on my own. I’m not on complete bed rest.”

  “I don’t want you c
limbing stairs. We’ll walk a little tomorrow, but tonight, bed for you.” He kissed the end of my nose as he carried me up to our room. After he saw to it my bathwater was running, he hurried back downstairs to finish cleaning up the dishes. I’d barely gotten into the tub when he reappeared in the bathroom doorway.

  “I forgot until now, but Dr. Renault sent this home with you. You need to start your injections tonight,” he reminded me, carrying two large syringes with him.

  “I don’t know how, and I don’t think I could give it to myself. I thought I could go to the clinic or something,” I said hesitantly.

  “All the SEALs are trained in basic medical. Do you trust me?” he grinned, placing everything on the dressing table.

  “Of course. There isn’t anything you can’t do, I’m sure of it.”

  I rose to get out of the tub. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me as I stepped out. After I’d dried off and donned my nightgown, he picked one of the syringes back up.

  “Dr. Renault said to start out in the hip, until you were too sore to give them there. He said it’s too much to take in the arm at one time,” he said apologetically.

  “That’s fine,” I said as I pulled my gown up, exposing my right cheek.

  “Wow, I like the panties,” he teased, prepared to stick me with the needle. He wiped the spot with a cotton ball, and then inserted the needle gently. As he continued to push the medicine in, it began to sting, and then burn like fire. I tried hard to not let him see how much it hurt. I was afraid he would take it personally. I didn’t want him to be afraid to give me the shots. When he pushed the second shot in, the pain became almost unbearable. I didn’t think he was watching me, but when he pulled the needle out, he dropped the syringe and caught me as I started to fall.

  “Are you all right, you’re awfully pale,” he commented, placing me on the bed.

  “Yeah, the last one was a little intense.” I caught my breath.